Everything about Istanbul totally explained
Istanbul (historically
Byzantium and later
Constantinople; see the other
names of Istanbul) is
Europe's most populous city (
the world's 4th largest city proper and
20th largest urban area) and
Turkey's cultural and financial center. The city covers 27 districts of the
Istanbul province. It is located on the
Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural
harbor known as the
Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European (
Thrace) and on the Asian (
Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only
metropolis in the world which is situated on two
continents. In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital city of the
Roman Empire (330–395), the
East Roman (Byzantine) Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453), the
Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the
Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). The city was chosen as joint
European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the
UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.
Names
The modern Turkish name
İstanbul (
IPA: [isˈtanbul] or colloquial [ɨsˈtanbul]) can be attested, in a range of different variants, from as far back as the 10th century; it has been the common name for the city in normal Turkish speech since before the conquest of 1453. Etymologically, it derives from the
Greek phrase "εἰς τὴν [[Polis[istimˈbolin] or in the Aegean dialect "εἰς τὰν Πόλιν" [istamˈbolin] (modern Greek "στην Πόλι" [stimˈboli]), which means "in the city", "to the city" or "downtown".
Byzantium is the first known name of the city. When Roman emperor
Constantine I (Constantine the Great) made the city the new eastern capital of the
Roman Empire on
May 11, 330, he conferred on it the name
Nova Roma ("New Rome").
Constantinople ("City of Constantine") was the name by which the city became instead more widely known. It is first attested in official use under emperor
Theodosius II (408–450). It remained the principal official name of the city throughout the Byzantine period, and the most common name used for it in the West until the early 20th century.
The city has also been nicknamed "
The City on Seven Hills" because the historic
peninsula, the oldest part of the city, was built on seven hills (just like Rome), each of which bears a historic
mosque. The hills are represented in the city's emblem with seven triangles, above which rise four
minarets. Two of many other old nicknames of Istanbul are
Vasilevousa Polis (the
Queen of Cities), which rose from the city's importance and wealth throughout the
Middle Ages; and
Dersaadet, originally
Der-i Saadet (the
Door to Happiness) which was first used towards the end of 19th century and is still remembered today.
With the Turkish Postal Service Law of
March 28,
1930, the Turkish authorities officially requested foreigners to adopt Istanbul as the sole name also in their own languages.
History
Copper Age period, with artifacts dating from 5500–3500 BC. A port settlement dating back to the
Phoenicians has been discovered in nearby
Kadıköy (
Chalcedon). Cape Moda in Chalcedon was the first location which the
Greek settlers of
Megara chose to colonize in 685 BC, prior to colonising
Byzantion on the European side of the Bosphorus under the command of King
Byzas in 667 BC. Byzantion was established on the site of an ancient port settlement named
Lygos, founded by
Thracian tribes between the 13th and 11th centuries BC, along with the neighbouring
Semistra, of which
Plinius had mentioned in his historical accounts. Only a few walls and substructures belonging to Lygos have survived to date, near the
Seraglio Point, where the famous
Topkapı Palace now stands. During the period of Byzantion, the Acropolis used to stand where the Topkapı Palace stands today.
After siding with
Pescennius Niger against the victorious
Roman emperor Septimius Severus, the city was besieged by the
Romans and suffered extensive damage in 196 AD. Byzantium was rebuilt by
Severus and quickly regained its previous prosperity, being temporarily renamed as
Augusta Antonina by the emperor, in honor of his son.
The location of Byzantium attracted Constantine I in 324 after a prophetic dream was said to have identified the location of the city; but the true reason behind this prophecy was probably Constantine's final victory over
Licinius at the
Battle of Chrysopolis (
Üsküdar) on the Bosphorus, on
September 18, 324, which ended the civil war between the Roman Co-Emperors, and brought an end to the final vestiges of the
Tetrarchy system, during which
Nicomedia (present-day
İzmit, east of Istanbul) was the most senior Roman capital city. Byzantium (now renamed as
Nova Roma which eventually became
Constantinopolis, for example "The City of Constantine") was officially proclaimed the new capital of the
Roman Empire six years later, in 330. Following the death of
Theodosius I in 395 and the permanent partition of the Roman Empire between his two sons, Constantinople became the capital of the
Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. As well as being the centre of an imperial dynasty, the unique position of Constantinople at the centre of two continents made the city a magnet for international
commerce,
culture and
diplomacy. The Byzantine Empire was distinctly Greek in culture and became the centre of Greek Orthodox Christianity, while its capital was adorned with many magnificent
churches, including the
Hagia Sophia, once the world's largest
cathedral. The seat of the
Patriarch of Constantinople, spiritual leader of the
Eastern Orthodox Church, still remains in the
Fener (Greek: Phanar) district of Istanbul.
In 1204, the
Fourth Crusade was launched to capture
Jerusalem, but had instead turned on Constantinople, which was sacked and desecrated. The city subsequently became the centre of the Catholic
Latin Empire, created by the crusaders to replace the Orthodox Byzantine Empire, which was divided into a number of splinter states, of which the
Empire of Nicaea was to recapture Constantinople in 1261 under the command of
Michael VIII Palaeologus.
In the last decades of the Byzantine Empire, the city had decayed as the Byzantine state became increasingly isolated and financially bankrupt, its population had dwindled to some thirty or forty thousand people whilst large sections remained uninhabited. Due to the ever increasing inward turn the Byzantines took, many facets of their surrounding empire were now falling apart, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
Ottoman Turks began a strategy by which they took selected towns and smaller cities over time, enveloping
Bursa in 1326,
Nicomedia in 1337,
Gallipoli in 1354, and finally
Adrianople in 1362. This essentially cut off Constantinople from its main supply routes, strangling it slowly.
On
May 29,
1453,
Sultan Mehmed II "the Conqueror"
captured Constantinople after a 53-day
siege and proclaimed that the city was now the new capital of his Ottoman Empire. Sultan Mehmed's first duty was to rejuvenate the city economically, creating the
Grand Bazaar and inviting the fleeing Orthodox and Catholic inhabitants to return. Captured prisoners were freed to settle in the city whilst provincial governors in Rumelia and Anatolia were ordered to send four thousand families to settle in the city, whether Muslim, Christian or Jew, to form a unique
cosmopolitan society.
Geography
Istanbul is located in the north-west
Marmara Region of Turkey. It encloses the southern Bosphorus which places the city on two continents—the western portion of Istanbul is in Europe, while the eastern portion is in Asia. The city boundaries cover a surface area of, while the metropolitan region, or the
Province of Istanbul, covers .
Climate
The city has a
Mediterranean climate with hot and humid summers; and cool, rainy and often snowy winters. Humidity is generally rather high which can make temperatures feel much warmer or colder than they actually are. Yearly precipitation for Istanbul averages . In all of these earthquakes, the devastating effects are a result of the close settlement and poor construction of buildings. Seismologists predict another earthquake, possibly measuring
magnitude 7.0, occurring before 2025.
Architecture
Throughout its long history, Istanbul has acquired a reputation for being a cultural and ethnic melting pot. As a result, there are many historical mosques, churches, synagogues, palaces, castles and towers to visit in the city. Some of these historical structures, which draw millions to the city every year, reflect the heart and soul of Istanbul.
The famous
Maiden's (Leander's) Tower, one of the symbols of Istanbul, was originally built by the ancient
Athenian general
Alcibiades in 408 BC to control the movements of the
Persian ships in the
Bosphorus strait. Back then it was located between the cities of
Byzantion and
Chrysopolis. The tower was later enlarged and rebuilt as a fortress by the
Byzantine emperor
Alexius Comnenus in 1110, and was rebuilt and restored several times by the
Ottoman Turks, most significantly in 1509 and 1763. and contained several fragments of the
True Cross and other artifacts belonging to
Jesus Christ and
Virgin Mary, the
Mazulkemer Aqueduct, the
Valens Aqueduct, the
Column of the Goths at the Seraglio Point, the
Milion which served for calculating the distances between Constantinople and other cities of the Roman Empire, and the
Hippodrome of Constantinople which was built following the model of the
Circus Maximus in
Rome. Construction of the
Walls of Constantinople began under Constantine the Great, who enlarged the previously existing walls of Byzantium in order to defend the new Roman capital city which quickly grew following its proclamation as Nova Roma. A new set of walls was built further west during the reign of
Theodosius II, and rebuilt after an earthquake in 447 in their current shape.
The early Byzantine architecture followed the classical Roman model of domes and arches, but further improved these architectural concepts, as evidenced with the
Hagia Sophia, which is the largest structure on Sultanahmet Square in the
Eminönü district. The Hagia Sophia was designed by
Isidorus and
Anthemius as the third church to rise on this location, between 532 and 537, following the
Nika riots (532) during which the second church was destroyed (the first church, known as the
Megala Ekklessia ("Great Church") was inaugurated by
Constantius II in 360; the second church was inaugurated by Theodosius II in 405, while the third and current one was inaugurated by
Justinian in 537). The
Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (commonly known as the
Little Hagia Sophia), which was the first church built by Justinian in Constantinople and edificed between 527 and 536, had earlier signaled such an improvement in the design of domed buildings, which require complex solutions for carrying the structure. The present-day
Hagia Irene (which was originally built by Constantine in the 4th century, but was later enlarged by Justinian in the 6th century) and the
Basilica Cistern are also from this period.
The most important churches which were built after the Byzantines recovered Constantinople from the Latin Crusaders in 1261 include the
Pammakaristos Church and
Chora Church. Also in this period, the
Genoese Podestà of
Galata, Montano de Marinis, built the
Palazzo del Comune (1314), a copy of the San Giorgio Palace in
Genoa, which still stands in ruins on the back streets of
Bankalar Caddesi in Galata, together with its adjacent buildings and numerous Genoese houses from the early 1300s. The Genoese also built the
Galata Tower, which they named as
Christea Turris (Tower of Christ), at the highest point of the citadel of Galata, in 1348.
The Ottoman Turks built the
Anadoluhisarı on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in 1394, and the
Rumelihisarı at the opposite (European) shore, in 1452, a year before the conquest of
Constantinople. The main purpose of these castles, armed with the long range
Balyemez (
Faule Metze) cannons, was to block the sea traffic of the Bosphorus and prevent the support ships from the
Genoese colonies on the
Black Sea ports, such as
Caffa,
Sinop, and
Amasra, from reaching Constantinople and helping the Byzantines during the Turkish siege of the city.
Following the Ottoman conquest of the city, Sultan
Mehmed II initiated a wide scale reconstruction plan, which included the construction of grand buildings such as the
Eyüp Sultan Mosque,
Fatih Mosque,
Topkapı Palace, the
Grand Bazaar and the
Yedikule (Seven Towers) Castle which guarded the main entrance gate of the city, the
Porta Aurea (Golden Gate). In the centuries following Mehmed II, many new important buildings, such as the
Süleymaniye Mosque,
Sultanahmet Mosque,
Yeni Mosque and numerous others were constructed. In the 18th and 19th centuries, traditional Ottoman architectural styles were gradually replaced by European styles, such as the
Baroque style interiors of the Aynalıkavak Palace (1677–1679) and Nuruosmaniye Mosque (1748–1755, the first Baroque style mosque in the city, also famous for its Baroque fountain), and the 18th century Baroque additions to the Harem section of the Topkapı Palace. Following the
Tanzimat reforms which effectively started Turkey's Europeanization process in 1839, new palaces and mosques were built in
Neoclassical,
Baroque and
Rococo styles, or a mixture of all three, such as the
Dolmabahçe Palace,
Beylerbeyi Palace and
Ortaköy (Mecidiye) Mosque.
Starting from the early 19th century, the areas around
İstiklal Avenue were filled with grandiose embassy buildings belonging to prominent European states, and rows of European (mostly Neoclassical and later
Art Nouveau) style buildings started to appear on both flanks of the avenue. Istanbul especially became a major center of the Art Nouveau movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with famous architects of this style like
Raimondo D'Aronco building many palaces and mansions in the city proper and on the
Princes' Islands. His most important works in the city include several buildings of the
Yıldız Palace complex, and the
Botter House on İstiklal Avenue. The famous
Camondo Stairs on Bankalar Caddesi (Banks Street) in
Karaköy (
Galata) is also a beautiful example of Art Nouveau architecture. Other important examples are the
Hıdiv Kasrı (Khedive Palace) on the Asian side of the Bosphorus,
Flora Han in
Sirkeci, and
Frej Apartmanı in the Şişhane quarter of
Beyoğlu.
Urbanism
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The urban landscape is constantly changing. In the Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods, the city was largely made up of the historic peninsula of
Constantinople, with the citadel of
Galata (also called
Sykae or
Pera) at north, and
Chrysopolis (
Üsküdar) and
Chalcedon (
Kadıköy) at east, across the
Bosphorus. These were all independent cities back then. The present City of Istanbul can be considered the metropolitan area of old Constantinople, encompassing every single settlement around the original city, and expanding even further with the establishment of new neighbourhoods and districts since the 19th century.
Until the early 19th century, the city walls of
Galata, the medieval
Genoese citadel, used to stand. These Genoese fortifications, of which only the
Galata Tower stands today, were demolished in the early 1800s to give way for a northwards expansion of the city, towards the neighbourhoods of
Beşiktaş,
Şişli,
Nişantaşı, and beyond.
In the last decades, numerous tall structures were built around the city to accommodate a rapid growth in population. Surrounding towns were absorbed into Istanbul as the city rapidly expanded outwards. The tallest highrise office and residential buildings are mostly located in the northern areas of the European side, and especially in the business and shopping districts of
Levent,
Maslak, and
Etiler which are situated between the
Bosphorus Bridge and
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. Levent and Etiler also have numerous upmarket shopping malls, like
Kanyon,
Metrocity,
Akmerkez, Mayadrom and Mayadrom Uptown. The headquarters of Turkey's largest companies and banks are also located in this area.
Starting from the second half of the 20th century, the Asian side of Istanbul, which was originally a tranquil place full of seaside summer residences and elegant chalet mansions surrounded by lush and vast umbrella pine gardens, experienced a massive urban growth. The construction of the long, wide and elegant
Bağdat Avenue, with its rows of upscale shops and restaurants, contributed much to the initial expansion in the area. The fact that these areas were largely empty until the 1960s also provided the chance for developing better infrastructure and a tidier urban planning when compared with most other residential areas in the city. But the real expansion of the Asian side came with the opening of
Ankara Asfaltı, the Asian extension of the E5 highway, which is located to the north of Bağdat Avenue, parallel to the railway line. Another important factor in the recent growth of the Asian side of the city was migration from
Anatolia. Today, more than 1/3 of the city's population live in the Asian side of Istanbul.
As a result of Istanbul's exponential growth during the second half of the 20th century, a significant portion of the city's outskirts consists of
gecekondus, a Turkish word created in the 1940s meaning ‘built overnight’ and referring to the illegally constructed squatter buildings that comprise entire neighbourhoods and run rampant outside the historic centers of Turkey's largest cities, especially Istanbul,
Ankara,
İzmir, and
Bursa. At present, some gecekondu areas are being gradually demolished and replaced by modern mass-housing compounds.
Administration
Organization
The mayor of Istanbul, currently
Kadir Topbaş, serves as the prefect of the city, as well as governor of the province. Istanbul is a
home rule city and municipal elections are mainly
partisan. The metropolitan model of governance has been used with the establishment of metropolitan administration in 1930. The metropolitan council is responsible for all authority when it comes to making city decisions. The metropolitan government structure consists of three main organs: (1) The Metropolitan Mayor (elected every five years), (2) The Metropolitan Council (decision making body with the mayor, district Mayors, and one fifth of the district municipal councilors), (3) The metropolitan executive committee. There are three types of local authorities: (1) municipalities, (2) special provincial administrations, (3) village administrations. Among the local authorities, municipalities are gaining greater importance with the rise in urbanization.
Districts
Istanbul Province has 32 districts, of which 27 form the city proper of Istanbul, also called
Greater Istanbul, administered by the
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (or
Municipality of Metropolitan Istanbul) (. These city districts, each of which forms a municipality with an elected mayor and council, can be grouped into three main areas: (1) the historic peninsula, (2) the areas north of the
Golden Horn, and (3) the Asian side.
The
historic peninsula of old Istanbul corresponds approximately to the extent of Constantinople in the 15th century; it comprises the districts of
Eminönü and
Fatih. This area lies on the southern shores of the
Golden Horn, which separates the old city center from the northern and younger parts of the European side. The historic peninsula ends with the
Theodosian Land Walls in the west. The peninsula is surrounded by the
Sea of Marmara on the south and the entrance of the
Bosphorus on the east.
North of the
Golden Horn are the historical
Beyoğlu and
Beşiktaş districts, where
the last Sultan's palace is located, followed by a chain of former villages such as
Ortaköy and
Bebek along the shores of the Bosphorus. On both the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus, wealthy Istanbulites built luxurious chalet mansions, called
yalı, which were used as summer residences.
The quarters of
Üsküdar (
Chrysopolis) and
Kadıköy (
Chalcedon) which are located on the Asian side were originally independent cities, like
Beyoğlu (
Pera) also used to be. Today they're full of modern residential areas and business districts, and are home to around one-third of Istanbul's population.
Demographics
for the data (there is a table that generated this info)]]
The city of Istanbul has a population of 11,372,613 residents according to the latest count as of 2007, Currently Istanbul has 54 municipalities, and stretches over an area of about 65 miles (approximately 100 km). The rate of population growth in the city is currently at 3.45% a year on average, mainly due to the influx of people from the surrounding rural areas. Istanbul's population density of 2,742 people per square mile (1,700 per square km) far exceeds Turkey's 130 people per square mile (81 people per square km).
| Year |
Population |
| 330 |
40,000 |
| 400 |
400,000 |
| 530 |
550,000 |
| 545 |
350,000 |
| 715 |
300,000 |
| 950 |
400,000 |
| 1200 |
150,000 |
| 1453 |
36,000 |
|
| Year |
Population |
| 1477 |
14.803 |
| 1566 |
600,000 |
| 1817 |
500,000 |
| 1860 |
715,000 |
| 1885 |
873,570 |
| 1890 |
874,000 |
| 1897 |
1,059,000 |
| 1901 |
942,900 |
|
| Year |
Population |
| 1914 |
909,978 |
| 1927 |
680,857 |
| 1935 |
741,148 |
| 1940 |
793,949 |
| 1945 |
860,558 |
| 1950 |
983,041 |
| 1955 |
1,268,771 |
| 1960 |
1,466,535 |
|
| Year |
Population |
| 1965 |
1,742,978 |
| 1970 |
2,132,407 |
| 1975 |
2,547,364 |
| 1980 |
2,772,708 |
| 1985 |
5,475,982 |
| 1990 |
6,629,431 |
| 2000 |
8,803,468 |
| 2007 |
11,372,613 |
|
Religion
Islam. The first mosque in Istanbul was built in
Kadıköy (ancient
Chalcedon) on the Asian side of the city, which was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1353, a full century before the conquest of
Constantinople across the
Bosphorus, on the European side. The first mosque on the European side of Istanbul was built inside the
Rumeli Castle in 1452. The first grand mosque which was built in the city proper was the
Eyüp Sultan Mosque in around 1459. The mosque was built on the site of the grave of
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the
Prophet Muhammad who had died fighting in the Arab army in a siege to take the city in 669, making Istanbul one of the holy cities of Islam. The first imperial mosque inside the
city walls was the
Fatih Mosque (1470) which was built on the site of the
Church of the Holy Apostles, an important
Byzantine church which was originally edificed in the time of
Constantine the Great. Many other imperial mosques were built in the following centuries, such as the famous
Süleymaniye Mosque (1557) which was ordered by
Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the great Ottoman architect
Sinan, and the famous
Sultan Ahmet Mosque (1616) which is also known as the
Blue Mosque for the blue tiles which adorn its interior.
Istanbul was the final seat of the
Islamic Caliphate, between 1517 and 1924. The personal belongings of
Mohammed and the earliest
Caliphs who followed him are today preserved in the
Topkapı Palace, the
Eyüp Sultan Mosque and in several other prominent mosques of Istanbul.
The seat of the
Patriarch of Constantinople, spiritual leader of the
Greek Orthodox Church is located in the
Fener (
Greek:
Φανάρι) district. Also based in Istanbul are the archbishop of the Turkish-
Orthodox community, an
Armenian archbishop, and the Turkish Grand-
Rabbi.
According to the 2000 census, there were 2691 active
mosques, 123 active
churches and 26 active
synagogues in Istanbul; as well as 109 Muslim cemeteries and 57 non-Muslim cemeteries. Religious minorities include
Greek Orthodox Christians,
Armenian Christians,
Catholic Levantines and
Sephardic Jews. Some neighbourhoods have sizeable populations of these ethnic groups, such as the
Kumkapı neighbourhood, which has a sizeable
Armenian population, the
Balat neighbourhood, which has a sizeable
Jewish population, the
Fener neighbourhood which has a sizeable
Greek population, and some neighbourhoods in
Nişantaşı and
Beyoğlu, which have sizeable
Levantine populations. In some quarters, such as
Kuzguncuk, an Armenian church sits next to a synagogue, and on the other side of the road a Greek Orthodox church is found beside a mosque.
Economy
GDP of $133 billion. In 2005 companies based in Istanbul made
exports worth $41,397,000,000 and
imports worth $69,883,000,000; which corresponded to 56.6% and 60.2% of Turkey's exports and imports, respectively, in that year. According to
Forbes magazine, Istanbul had a total of 35 billionaires as of March 2008 (up from 25 in 2007), ranking 4th in the world behind
Moscow (74 billionaires),
New York City (71 billionaires) and
London (36 billionaires), while ranking above
Hong Kong (30 billionaires),
Los Angeles (24 billionaires),
Mumbai (20 billionaires),
San Francisco (19 billionaires),
Dallas (15 billionaires) and
Tokyo (15 billionaires).
Istanbul has always been the financial capital of Turkey and the opening of specific markets in the city during the 1980s further strengthened this status. Inaugurated at the beginning of 1986, the
Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) is the sole securities market of Turkey, established to provide trading in equities, right coupons, Government bonds, Treasury bills, revenue sharing certificates, bonds issued by the Privatization Administration and corporate bonds, and to carry out overnight transactions. In 1993 the
ISE decided on gold market liberalization, and in 1995 the Istanbul Gold Exchange was established, which ended the gold bullion imports monopoly of the Turkish Central Bank and transferred it to the private sector members of the gold exchange.
Istanbul is also Turkey's largest industrial center. It employs approximately 20% of Turkey's
industrial labor and contributes 38% of Turkey's industrial workspace. In addition, the city generates 55% of Turkey's trade and 45% of the country's
wholesale trade, and generates 21.2% of Turkey's
gross national product. Istanbul contributes 40% of all taxes collected in Turkey and produces 27.5% of Turkey's national product. Istanbul and its surrounding province produce
cotton,
fruit,
olive oil,
silk, and
tobacco. Food processing, textile production, oil products, rubber, metal ware, leather, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics, glass, machinery, automotive, transport vehicles, paper and paper products, and alcoholic drinks are among the city's major industrial products.
Istanbul is one of the most important tourism spots of Turkey. There are thousands of
hotels and other tourist oriented industries in the city, catering to both
vacationers and visiting professionals. In 2006 a total of 23,148,669 tourists visited Turkey, most of whom entered the country through the airports and seaports of Istanbul and
Antalya. The total number of tourists who entered Turkey through
Atatürk International Airport and
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Istanbul reached 5,346,658, rising from 4,849,353 in 2005. Istanbul is also one of the world's major conference destinations and is an increasingly popular choice for the world's leading international associations.
Infrastructure
Health and medicine
The city has many public and private hospitals, clinics and laboratories within its bounds and numerous medical research centers. Many of these facilities have high technology equipment, which has contributed to the recent upsurge in "medical tourism" to Istanbul, particularly from West European countries like the
United Kingdom and
Germany where governments send patients with lower income to the city for the relatively inexpensive service of high-tech medical treatment and operations. Istanbul has particularly become a global destination for laser eye surgery and plastic surgery. The city also has an Army Veterans Hospital in the military medical center.
Pollution-related health problems increase especially in the winter, when the combustion of heating fuels increase. The rising number of new cars in the city and the slow development of public transportation often cause urban smog conditions. Mandatory use of unleaded gas was scheduled to begin only in January 2006.
Utilities
The first water supply systems which were built in Istanbul date back to the foundation of the city. Two of the greatest
aqueducts built in the Roman period are the Mazulkemer Aqueduct and the
Valens Aqueduct. These aqueducts were built in order to channel water from the Halkalı area in the western edge of the city to the Beyazıt district in the city center, which was known as the
Forum Tauri in the Roman period. After reaching the city center, the water was later collected in the city's numerous
cisterns, such as the famous Philoxenos (Binbirdirek) Cistern and the
Basilica (Yerebatan) Cistern. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned
Sinan, his engineer and architect-in-chief, to improve the water needs of the city. Sinan constructed the Kırkçeşme Water Supply System in 1555. There are also several private sector organizations distributing clean water. Electricity distribution services are covered by the state-owned TEK. The first electricity production plant in the city,
Silahtarağa Termik Santrali, was established in 1914 and continued to supply electricity until 1983.
The Ottoman Ministry of Post and Telegraph was established in the city on
October 23,
1840. The first post office was the
Postahane-i Amire near the courtyard of
Yeni Mosque. Following this successful test, installation works of the first telegraph line between Istanbul and
Edirne began on
August 9,
1847. In 1855 the Telegraph Administration was established.
Today, the
Sirkeci Terminal of the
Turkish State Railways (TCDD) is the terminus of all the lines on the European side and the main connection node of the Turkish railway network with the rest of Europe. Currently, international connections are provided by the line running between Istanbul and
Thessaloniki,
Greece, and the
Bosphorus Express serving daily between Sirkeci and
Gara de Nord in
Bucharest,
Romania. Lines to
Sofia,
Belgrade,
Budapest, and
Chişinău are established over the
Bosphorus Express connection to Bucharest. Sirkeci Terminal was originally opened as the terminus of the
Orient Express.
Beyond the Bosphorus, the
Haydarpaşa Terminal on the Asian side serves lines running several times daily to
Ankara, and less frequently to other destinations in
Anatolia. The railway networks on the European and Asian sides are currently connected by the
train ferry across the Bosphorus, which will be replaced by an underwater tunnel connection with the completion of the
Marmaray project, scheduled for 2009. Marmaray (Bosphorus Rail Tunnel) will also connect the
metro lines on the European and Asian parts of the city. Haydarpaşa Terminal was originally opened as the terminus of the
Istanbul-Baghdad and
Istanbul-Damascus-Medina railways.
Road
The
E5,
E90 and
Trans European Motorway (TEM) are the three main motorway connections between Europe and Turkey. The motorway network around Istanbul is well developed and is constantly being extended. Motorways lead east to
Ankara and west to
Edirne. There are also 2 express highways circling the city. The older one, the E5, is mostly used for inner city traffic while the more recent one, the TEM highway, is mostly used by intercity or intercontinental traffic. The
Bosphorus Bridge on E5 and the
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge on TEM establish the motorway connection between the European and the Asian sides of the Bosphorus.
Sea
Sea transport is vital for Istanbul, as the city is practically surrounded by sea on all sides: the
Sea of Marmara, the
Golden Horn, the
Bosphorus and the
Black Sea. Many Istanbulites live on the Asian side of the city but work on the European side (or vice-versa) and the city's famous commuter ferries form the backbone of the daily transition between the two parts of the city - even more so than the two suspension bridges which span the Bosphorus. The commuter ferries, along with the high speed catamaran
Seabus (
Deniz Otobüsü), also form the main connection between the city and the
Princes' Islands.
İDO (
İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri -
Istanbul Sea Buses) was established in 1987 and operates the high speed catamaran
Seabus which run between the European and Asian parts of Istanbul, also connecting the city with the
Princes' Islands and other destinations in the
Sea of Marmara. The
Seabus are built by Kvaerner Fjellstrand of Norway and Austal Ships Pty. of Australia. The
Yenikapı High Speed Car Ferry Port on the European side, and the
Pendik High Speed Car Ferry Port on the Asian side, are where the high speed catamaran "car ferries" are based. These are larger than the other Seabus, and were likewise built or designed in Australia and Norway. The car ferries which operate between Yenikapı (on the European side of Istanbul) and
Bandırma reduce the driving time between Istanbul and
İzmir and other major destinations on Turkey's
Aegean coast by several hours; while those which operate between Yenikapı or
Pendik (on the Asian side of Istanbul) and
Yalova significantly reduce the driving time between Istanbul and
Bursa or
Antalya.
The port of Istanbul is the most important one in the country. The old port on the
Golden Horn serves primarily for personal navigation, while
Karaköy port in
Galata is used by the large
cruise liners. Regular services as well as cruises from both Karaköy and
Eminönü exist to several port cities in the
Mediterranean Sea and
Black Sea. Istanbul's main cargo port, on the other hand, is located in the Harem district, within the borough of
Üsküdar, on the Asian side of the city.
Istanbul also has several marinas of varying size for harboring private yachts, the largest of which are the Ataköy Marina on the European side and Kalamış Marina on the Asian side.
Image:Tünel Istanbul.jpg|Istanbul's Tünel (1875) is the world's second-oldest subway line after London's Underground
Image:Sirkeci-station_Orient_Express.JPG|Sirkeci Terminal was opened in 1890 as the terminus of the Orient Express
Image:Haydarpasha train station istanbul.jpg|Haydarpaşa Terminal was opened in 1908 as the terminus of the Istanbul-Baghdad and Istanbul-Medina railways
Image:Funikuler kabatas-taksim.jpg|Subway connection between Kabataş and Taksim Square
Life in the city
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Art & culture
Istanbul is becoming increasingly colorful in terms of its rich social, cultural, and commercial activities. While world famous pop stars fill stadiums, activities like opera, ballet and theater continue throughout the year. During seasonal festivals, world famous orchestras, chorale ensembles, concerts and jazz legends can be found often playing to a full house. The
Istanbul International Film Festival is one of the most important film festivals in Europe, while the
Istanbul Biennial is another major event of fine arts.
Istanbul Modern, located on the Bosphorus with a magnificent view of the Seraglio Point, resembles
Tate Modern in many ways and frequently hosts the exhibitions of renowned Turkish and foreign artists.
Pera Museum and
Sakıp Sabancı Museum have hosted the exhibitions of world famous artists like
Picasso,
Rodin,
Rembrandt and many others, and are among the most important private museums in the city. The
Rahmi M. Koç Museum on the Golden Horn is an industrial museum, largely inspired by the
Henry Ford Museum in the United States. It exhibits historic industrial equipment such as cars and locomotives from the 1800s and early 1900s, as well as boats, submarines, aircraft, and other similar vintage machines from past epochs.
Istanbul Archaeology Museum, established in 1881, is one of the largest and most famous museums of its kind in the world. The museum contains more than 1,000,000 archaeological pieces from the Mediterranean basin, the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.
Istanbul Mosaic Museum contains the late Roman and early Byzantine floor mosaics and wall ornaments of the
Great Palace of Constantinople. The nearby
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, originally the Ibrahim Pasha Palace (1524) on Sultanahmet Square, displays a vast collection of items from various Islamic civilizations.
Sadberk Hanım Museum on the Bosphorus contains a wide variety of artifacts, dating from the earliest Anatolian civilizations to the Ottomans.
Occasionally, in November, the
Silahhane (Armory Hall) of
Yıldız Palace hosts the
Istanbul Antiques Fair, which brings together rare pieces of antiques from the Orient and Occident. The items are sold either directly, or through auction. The multi-storey
Mecidiyeköy Antikacılar Çarşısı (Mecidiyeköy Antiques Bazaar) in the Mecidiyeköy quarter of
Şişli is the largest antiques market in the city, while the
Çukurcuma neighbourhood of
Beyoğlu has rows of antiques shops in its streets.
The Grand Bazaar, edificed between 1455-1461 by the order of Sultan
Mehmed the Conqueror and later enlarged in the 16th century during the reign of Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent also has numerous antiques shops, along with shops selling jewels, carpets and other items of art and artisanship. Historic and rare books are found in the
Sahaflar Çarşısı near
Beyazıt Square, which was known as the
Forum Tauri in the Roman period. It is one of the oldest book markets in the world, and has continuously been active in the same location since the late Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.
A significant culture has been developed around what is known as a Turkish Bath (
Hamam), the origins of which can be traced back to the ancient Roman Bath, which was a part of the Byzantine lifestyle and customs that were inherited first by the Seljuk Turks and later the Ottomans, who developed it into something more elaborate. It was a culture of leisure during the Ottoman period. The
hamams in the Ottoman culture started out as structural elements serving as annexes to mosques, however quickly evolved into institutions and eventually with the works of the great Ottoman architect
Sinan, into monumental structural complexes, the finest example being the
Çemberlitaş Hamamı (1584) in Istanbul, located on the Çemberlitaş (Column of Constantine) Square.
Live shows and concerts are hosted at a number of locations including historical sites such as the
Hagia Irene,
Rumeli Fortress,
Yedikule Castle, the courtyard of
Topkapı Palace, and
Gülhane Park; as well as the
Atatürk Cultural Center,
Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall and other open air and modern theater halls. For those who enjoy night life, there are many night clubs, pubs, restaurants and taverns with live music. The night clubs, restaurants and bars increase in number and move to open air spaces in the summer. The areas around
Istiklal Avenue and
Nişantaşı offer all sorts of cafés, restaurants, pubs and clubs as well as art galleries, theaters and cinemas.
Media
The first Turkish newspaper, Takvim-i Vekayi, was printed on
1 August 1831 in the Bâbıâli (
Bâb-ı Âli, meaning
The Sublime Porte) district. Bâbıâli became the main center for print media. Istanbul is also the printing capital of Turkey with a wide variety of domestic and foreign periodicals expressing diverse views, and domestic newspapers are extremely competitive. Most nationwide newspapers are based in Istanbul, with simultaneous Ankara and İzmir editions. The name of the school was
chariot races that were held at the
Hippodrome of Constantinople, which had a capacity to accommodate more than 100,000 spectators.
Today, sports like football, basketball and volleyball are very popular in the city. In addition to
Galatasaray,
Fenerbahçe and
Beşiktaş, which field teams in multiple sports, several other clubs have also excelled in particular team sports; such as
Efes Pilsen and
Fenerbahçe Ülker in basketball; or
Eczacıbaşı and
Vakıfbank in volleyball.
The
Atatürk Olympic Stadium is a five-star
UEFA stadium and a first-class venue for
track and field, having reached the highest required standards set by the International Olympic Committee and sports federations such as the IAAF, FIFA and UEFA. The stadium hosted the 2005
UEFA Champions League Final. The
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium will host the 2009
UEFA Cup Final.
Personal sports like golf, horse riding and tennis are gaining popularity as the city hosts international tournaments such as the
WTA Istanbul Cup. For aerobics and bodybuilding, numerous fitness clubs are available. Paintball is a sport which has recently gained popularity and is practiced by two large clubs in the proximity of Istanbul.
Martial arts and other Eastern disciplines and practices such as
Aikido and
Yoga can be exercised in several centers across the city. Istanbul also hosts the annual
MTB races in the nearby Belgrad Forest and
Büyükada Island. Two of the most prominent cycling teams of Turkey, namely the Scott/Marintek MTB Team and the Kron/Sektor Bikes/Efor Bisiklet MTB Team, are from Istanbul.
Istanbul hosts several annual motorsports events, such as the
Formula One Turkish Grand Prix, the
MotoGP Grand Prix of Turkey, the
FIA World Touring Car Championship, the
GP2 and the
Le Mans Series races at the
Istanbul Park GP Racing Circuit.
From time to time Istanbul also hosts the Turkish leg of the
F1 Powerboat Racing on the
Bosphorus. Several annual
sailing and
yacht races take place on the Bosphorus and the
Sea of Marmara. The
Golden Horn is where the
rowing races take place. Major clubs like Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, and major universities such as the Bosphorus University have rowing teams.
Air racing is new to the city. On
July 29,
2006, Istanbul hosted the 4th round of the spectacular
Red Bull Air Race World Series above the
Golden Horn.
Town twinning
The following is a list of Istanbul's
sister cities:
Europe
- Athens, Greece
- Barcelona, Spain
- Berlin, Germany
- Budapest, Hungary
- Cologne, Germany
- Constanţa, Romania
- Durrës, Albania
- Florence, Italy
- Odessa, Ukraine
- Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Strasbourg, France
- Venice, Italy
- Warsaw, Poland
Asia
- Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Amman, Jordan
- Baku, Azerbaijan
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Busan, South Korea
- Damascus, Syria
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Isfahan, Iran
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Johor Bahru, Malaysia
- Kabul, Afghanistan
- Kazan, Russia
- Lahore, Pakistan
- Mary, Turkmenistan
- Osh, Kyrgyzstan
- Samarqand, Uzbekistan
- Shanghai, China
- Shimonoseki, Japan
- Surabaya, Indonesia
- Tabriz, Iran
- Xi'an, China
Americas
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Havana, Cuba
- Houston, USA
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Toronto, Canada
Africa
- Cairo, Egypt
- Constantine, Algeria
- Khartoum, Sudan
- Rabat, Morocco
Related lists
List of architectural structures in Istanbul
List of columns and towers in Istanbul
List of hospitals in Istanbul
List of Istanbulites
List of libraries in Istanbul
List of mayors of Istanbul
List of museums and monuments in Istanbul
List of schools in Istanbul
List of shopping malls in Istanbul
List of urban centers in Istanbul
List of universities in Istanbul
List of tallest buildings in IstanbulFurther Information
Get more info on 'Istanbul'.
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